After 11 years, the wait is over and college football is back in the video game world.
As has been well documented at this point, the game was an annual tradition in many people’s lives, only to suddenly and completely disappear due to legal issues.
Thanks in large part to the name, image, and likeness rules in college sports, the game has made a brave comeback, albeit without “NCAA” in its name — it’s now called “EA Sports College Football 25.”
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The game’s creators at EA committed to including as many details as possible to make it feel like a real college football Saturday, and for the most part, they succeeded. From the visuals to the sounds, this game makes you feel like it’s a Saturday on your favorite campus as you prepare to live and die on every play. At best, it sounds cliché, and at worst, it sounds corny. But it still matters, and people of a certain generation live for it. Having had this game for most of my life up until my senior year of high school, I’m very much a part of that generation, and so I happily paid a little extra to get the game early.
Here are five observations I made about Michigan and Michigan State football in EA Sports College Football 25.
Stadium sounds immerse you in the game
A long time ago I went to a Michigan State University football game with my mom and I remember her saying, “Wow, they play the fight song a lot; do they know any other song?”
It was a legitimate question at the time, and it comes up a lot in this game. But what makes it cool is that the game knows exactly when and how the Spartans use it in real life, a marked improvement over previous games.
Likewise, EA has been paying attention to what the Wolverines are doing.
At the start of a game at the Big House, Wolverines players enter by hitting the famous “GO BLUE” sign while “The Victors” plays and the crowd chants. When the Wolverines are on defense, the speakers will play the popular college football anthem “Mo Bamba” while the screen shakes. Chants “Let’s go, Blue!” are constant and you can’t miss the drum lines, which give an unmistakable college football feel.
Meanwhile, when you’re playing at Spartan Stadium, when MSU’s defense first takes the field, an instrumental version of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” blares over the speakers, just like in real life. If you force a third down, you’ll hear the familiar MSU sound “Third down” melody used in the greatest plays of East Lansing.
It’s the little details that count. And EA has certainly paid attention to those little details.
Michigan is still loaded
Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan team had a record 18 players invited to showcase their talents in Indianapolis before the NFL draft. The Wolverines failed to set the record for players selected, but still had 13 players, a program record.
If you didn’t know better and took a look at the Wolverines’ in-game roster, you would have no idea how much of a talent drain the team just suffered.
Looking through the rosters, Michigan clearly has one of the most talented teams in the game, especially at the top. In addition to cornerback Will Johnson, who with a 96 overall rating is tied for the highest-rated player in the game, the Wolverines have four other players with an overall rating of 90 or higher: Mason Graham (95), Colton Loveland (92), Kenneth Grant (91) and Donovan Edwards (91).
To put it in context, Michigan State’s highest-rated players are tight end Jack Velling and center Tanner Miller, both rated 87 overall. It was reported before the game that Michigan had five of the top 55 players in the game, but seeing it “on paper” makes it even more shocking. Hopefully, whatever team you choose in dynasty mode won’t have to play the Wolverines.
The Spartans are a perfect team for a rebuild
Unlike the Wolverines, Michigan State’s roster isn’t loaded with elite talent.
The Spartans finished 4-8 last year in a disastrous season on and off the field, while the Wolverines had their best season ever, going 15-0 and winning the national title.
But for this exact reason, the Spartans are primed to be chosen as the team to found a dynasty.
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The University of Michigan has a history of success and plays in the Big Ten, both of which help with recruiting for this year’s game. Additionally, Michigan State has good enough players at key positions in the game, like quarterback (Aidan Chiles, an 81 overall) and running back (Nathan Carter, an 85 overall), that will help you be competitive right away, but not dominate like you would if you took over Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, or another powerhouse.
If you like a challenge but don’t want to burn out in a Group of Six conference, the Spartans are a solid choice.
MSU’s helmet selection is second to none.
If you’re a helmet lover, prepare to get excited about Michigan State’s options.
While MSU only has three options for jerseys and pants (green, white and black), you can choose from 14 – FOURTEEN – different helmet options, ranging from the team’s default green Spartans logo helmet to several “Gruff Sparty” options.
Neither the lime green alternate uniforms nor the gold Nike Pro Combat uniforms, both controversial at the time, are present in the game, so it’s nice for the Spartans to have so many ways to mix things up with the helmet. It’s a video game after all, so you might as well have a little fun with it.
(For those wondering, the Wolverines only have one helmet option. I think you can probably guess what it is.)
Good luck to the Big House
It’s tough to win away from home at Michigan, both in real life and in-game. The Wolverines haven’t lost at Michigan Stadium since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and when you take a team to the Big House in “EA Sports College Football 25,” you can feel it.
The creators at EA have put a lot of effort into making it feel like when you’re playing on the road, you’re, well, on the road. When you’re on offense, the Michigan faithful go berserk. If the Wolverines have a lot of momentum, you won’t be able to hear certain plays. When the Big House crowd is firing on all cylinders, routes will sometimes be mixed up and you won’t be able to see which button a receiver is on.
According to the “Stadium Pulse” meter in the upper right corner, Michigan Stadium is the 16th most difficult place in the country to play. When the screen is shaking and none of your plays are working, it seems a lot harder.